Pipeline & Proposals
Track enquiries, write fee proposals and forecast revenue from one pipeline.
Project Management
Run delivery against budgets, deliverables and tasks with live performance visibility.
Resource Planning
Plan team capacity against live project and pipeline demand.
Time & Costs
Capture billable time and project costs against the right work.
WIP & Invoicing
Track WIP, raise invoices and sync straight to Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks.
Commercial Reporting
Live reporting across pipeline, projects, utilisation, WIP and margin.
Book a walkthrough and we’ll show how Drum connects pipeline, proposals, budgets, resourcing, time, WIP, invoicing, reporting and Xero into one practical operating system for your firm.
Consulting Engineers
Track project budgets, time and invoicing for your engineering firm.
Architects
Manage project phases, track time and invoice through Xero for your studio.
Town Planners
Track time across planning applications and invoice through Xero.
Building Designers
Manage project stages, time and budgets for your design practice.
Surveyors
Track jobs, manage field and office time, and invoice through Xero.
Book a walkthrough and we’ll show how Drum connects pipeline, proposals, budgets, resourcing, time, WIP, invoicing, reporting and Xero into one practical operating system for your firm.
Insights, frameworks, and practical guidance for professional services firms. From project management to financial performance, we cover what matters to your business.
Stop building quotes from scratch. These 7 templates cover consulting, engineering, creative, and hourly engagements — download, customise, and send.
Unresolved issues compound into budget blowouts and missed deadlines. A practical system for logging, prioritising, and closing client project issues.
Service firms are often profitable on paper but cash-poor in practice. Here's how to forecast, accelerate collections, and smooth out the feast-or-famine cycle.
Most client frustration comes from misaligned expectations, not bad work. Here's a practical framework with word-for-word scripts for the hardest conversations.
Burnout starts with invisible overwork, not resignation letters. Here's how to prevent it: spot early signs and fix workload imbalances before you lose talent.
Ad-hoc project management works until your firm hits 10+ concurrent projects. Here's how to build a repeatable workflow that keeps quality consistent at scale.
When time tracking and invoicing live in separate tools, hours slip through the cracks. Here's what to look for in software that connects both.
The average utilization rate in professional services is 68.9% — down from 73% three years ago. Here's how to calculate yours and what to do about the result.
Service firms lose 10-15% of billable revenue to sloppy time tracking. Here's how to build a system that captures every hour and connects it to invoicing.
Schedule variance tells you whether a project is ahead or behind — measured in dollars, not gut feeling. Here's how to calculate SV and act on what it reveals.
Xero handles accounting, but consulting invoices need time tracking data, project codes, and approval workflows. Here’s how to bridge that gap.
Purchase orders prevent surprise expenses from blowing up your project budget. Here's how to create, approve, and track them without slowing your team down.
Drum's QuickBooks integration syncs invoices, contacts, and payments automatically — so your project data and accounting always match without manual entry.
A project execution plan bridges winning the work and delivering it. Here's how to define scope, assign resources, and set milestones that stick.
Your overhead rate shapes project pricing. Here's how to calculate it, worked examples, and how to set rates that truly cover your costs.
Well-placed milestones trigger progress payments, catch scope drift early, and keep clients aligned. 10 examples for consulting and agency projects.
Standard accounting tells you if the business is profitable. Project accounting tells you which projects are profitable — and why. Here's how to set it up.
Running 5+ client projects is the norm for service firms. Here's how to manage multiple projects at once: prioritise, delegate, stay on top.
Revenue per employee for professional services firms averages $199K, down from $207K three years ago. Calculate yours and learn what drives it up.
A good service agreement protects your scope, payment terms, and IP without 30 pages of legalese. Here's what to include — with clauses you can actually use.
More articles coming soon. Subscribe to stay updated.